The Williamsburg County School District is pleased to announce the following school administrative appointments for 2022-2023:
1. Mr. Terrence Snider, former WCSD District Office Literacy Specialist and former Principal of Kingstree High School, will serve as Principal of Hemingway High School and Hemingway MB Lee Middle School.
2. Dr. Relus Lucear, former vice-principal of Bates Middle School in Sumter, SC, will serve as principal of Kingstree Middle Magnet School of the Arts.
3. Mr. Thomas Loner, a former teacher at Kingstree Middle Magnet School of the Arts, will be Deputy Principal of Kingstree Middle Magnet School of the Arts.
4. Mrs. Yolanda Cooper, former reading coach at Hemingway Elementary School, will be Vice Principal at Hemingway MB Lee Middle School.
5. Debbie Donnelly, former administrator of Florence School District 1, will serve as vice-principal at WM Anderson Elementary School.
6. Mr. Jonathan Chandler, former Vice Principal of CE Murray Middle School has been appointed Principal of CE Murray Elementary/Middle School.
7. Ms. Ayesha Hannibal, former SPED pedagogical facilitator for the district, has been appointed Vice-Principal of CE Murray Elementary/Middle School.
Mr. Terrence Snider
Mr. Terrence Snider, Principal of Hemingway High School and Hemingway MB Lee Middle School
Terrence Snider is a native of Jamestown, SC, and is the new principal of Hemingway High School and Hemingway MB Lee Middle School in Hemingway, SC. He has worked in public education for twenty-three years at the elementary, middle and high school levels in the following roles: teaching assistant, distance learning lab facilitator, English/language teacher, curriculum coach. studies/literacy, assistant director and director .
Mr. Snider was also an assistant professor of English at Benedict College in Columbia, SC. As an administrator, he has six years of experience as deputy director and four years of experience as director. Snider believes that if students are provided with a safe, nurturing, data-driven, and orderly learning environment, they can be successful. He further believes that the community must work closely with the school to be successful, which is his ultimate goal.
Dr. Relus Lucear, Jr.
Dr. Relus Lucear, Jr., principal of Kingstree Middle Magnet School of the Arts
Dr. Lucear’s educational career began as a special education teacher in 1996 with the Clayton County School District in Georgia. In 2004, Dr. Lucear joined the Department of Georgia Division of Education, where he served as Director and Regional Supervisor of Education. In 2011, Dr. Lucear started with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, where he served as Director. Most recently, Dr. Lucear worked as an assistant principal at Bates Middle School for nearly four and a half years.
Dr. Lucear holds a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, a Masters in Public Administration, and an Education Specialist (Ed.S) degree in Instructional Leadership from Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga. Finally, the Dr. Lucear received her Ph.D. in 2019 from South Carolina State University.
Dr. Lucear is an active member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; he is currently part of the Delta Kappa Sigma chapter (Sumter, SC). In his spare time, he enjoys watching Atlanta Falcons football games and supporting the South Carolina State University Bulldogs sports teams.
Mr. Thomas Loner
Mr. Thomas Loner, Deputy Principal of Kingstree Middle Magnet School of the Arts
Mr. Loner graduated from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC with a bachelor’s degree in history and middle-level education in 2008. Mr. Loner earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and a specialist degree in education in administration from Winthrop. Mr. Loner is currently working to complete his doctorate in educational administration. Mr. Loner has taught social studies for the past 12 years from grades 5-11. Most recently, he worked at DP Cooper Charter School in Williamsburg County and Bates Middle School in Sumter, South Carolina. Last year, he was a grade 8 social studies teacher at KMMSA. Mr. Loner is dedicated to serving the students, staff, and community members of Williamsburg County.
Yolanda CoxCooper
Yolanda Cox-Cooper, Vice Principal of Hemingway MB Lee Middle School
Ms. Cooper was born in Trenton, New Jersey and transitioned to South Carolina at an early age. She graduated from Hemingway High School. She has been employed in the Williamsburg County School District for twenty years in the following roles: Educational Assistant, Teacher, Reading Recovery Teacher, Reading Coach and is currently Vice Principal at Hemingway MB Lee Middle School. Ms. Cooper earned a BA in Psychology from Limestone College, an MA in Multi-Category Special Education from Cambridge College and an MA in Elementary and Secondary School Administration from Cambridge College. Ms. Cooper has two daughters and two sons and attends New Mt. Carmel AME Church in Hemingway, where she serves in various capacities.
His educational philosophy is based on this quote: “Children don’t care what you know, until they know how much you care!”
Mrs. Debbie G. Donnelly
Mrs. Debbie G. Donnelly, Vice Principal of WM Anderson/Montessori Elementary School
Mrs. Debbie G. Donnelly has been appointed Vice Principal of WM Anderson Elementary School. She has previously held the following positions: a gifted and talented classroom teacher for grades 3-6, vice principal for 13.5 years, and principal for 3 years. She has also worked as a certified medical laboratory technician. She earned the following college degrees: Associate of Health Sciences in Medical Laboratory Technology from Florence-Darlington Technical College, Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Coker College (now Coker University), and Master of Education in Business Administration + 30 hours in study program. and Instruction from the University of South Carolina. She is also one of the few to hold an endorsement for completing the South Carolina Department of Education (SDE) Transformational Leadership Academy (SCTLA). Mrs. Donnelly is thrilled to be Vice Principal at WM Anderson Elementary School.
jonathan chandler
Johnathan Chandler, Principal of CE Murray Elementary and Middle School
In July 2022, Mr. Jonathan Chandler was appointed Principal of CE Murray Elementary/Middle School. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in music industry from South Carolina State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Capella University. Mr. Chandler is working on a doctorate in educational leadership and administration at Capella University. Mr. Chandler has seventeen years of experience in the field of education. For the first nine years, Mr. Chandler taught elementary music (K-8) while serving as a band director and choir director. During those years, he won Teacher of the Year awards for DP Cooper Charter School and Williamsburg County Magnet School of the Arts. Mr. Chandler reigned as the Williamsburg County School District’s Teacher of the Year for the 2012-2013 school year. He became assistant director in 2015 and has just been appointed director. He is married and resides in Andrews, SC. Mr. Chandler is the father of three children (24-year-old twins who live in Charleston, South Carolina, and a high school student).
As principal, he believes that all students can learn if given the right resources and support. Here at CE Murray Elementary/Middle School, the primary goal is to improve student academic performance and ensure that all students succeed, as well as working with parents and community members to strengthen relationship between home and school.
He looks forward to working with everyone this year!
Aisha Hannibal
Ayesha Hannibal, Vice Principal of CE Murray Elementary and Middle School
Ayesha Hannibal is from Lynchburg, South Carolina. She has been a special education teacher for 17 years from kindergarten to grade 12. Ms. Hannibal has served as a school-level administrator and previously worked as a special services educational facilitator at the district level. She worked with all middle schools and some elementary schools in the Williamsburg County School District in her previous position. Most of his years were spent working with African American men in socioeconomically disadvantaged colleges. His work with students with severe behavioral problems who only needed someone to show them a unique perspective was one of his greatest accomplishments. Watching students succeed in graduating from high school and becoming successful citizens within the community is why she became an educator.
She holds an undergraduate degree with a concentration in learning disabilities and emotional disorders, and a master’s degree in learning disabilities and educational leadership. She is currently preparing her doctorate in educational leadership. Her passion for students of all abilities and working with the community has been a driving force for her. She has a 17 year old son and a 14 year old daughter. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her father. She looks forward to a fantastic school year as Vice Principal of CE Murray Elementary/Middle School.
